By TYLER SCHNEIDER
Many Greater Lansing residents were keen to visit the new Trader Joe’s in Meridian Township when it opened in June, but that was just one of dozens of notable additions to the area’s business landscape in 2024.
Voters in this year’s Top of the Town contest chose Bobcat Bonnie’s, which opened in February at Lansing’s old Union Depot, as the Best New Restaurant in the area. The eatery is the latest addition to the Michigan-based chain, founded by Ferndale resident Matt Buskard in 2015.
The 2023 Top of the Town winner for Best New Business, Lansing Shuffle, made good on its promise to open its long-awaited shuffleboard courts in May. The food hall and entertainment venue also bolstered its culinary roster with the launch of Takitos AF in January and Beirut Kitchen in February.
Those who were looking for a new go-to watering hole had plenty of options in 2024. First came Mash Bar, which opened in January as a sister business to Jolly Pumpkin’s East Lansing location on Albert Street. The two are connected on the inside, but Mash boasts a much larger drink menu and live entertainment.
The list of new drinking spots grew rapidly over the summer, starting with the courthouse-themed Barrister Brewing Co. in Owosso, which launched in May. In July, the west side’s Irish Pub returned under new ownership after an 11-year hiatus, while two longtime friends opened the Caribbean-themed Summerlands Brewing Co. in Holt. Additionally, Laingsburg couple Heather and Michael McDonald expanded their wedding venue, Graham Banquet Center, to include a winery, and SaltRock Brewing Co. opened in one of the historic Bailey buildings on Ionia Street near the Capitol.
Another pair of new businesses also resurrected vacant properties that once held Lansing staples. In April, wedding venue Copper Moon opened in the former Spiral Dance Bar in Old Town. One month later, self-care shop Sylvia’s Sudsery, born out of Downtown Lansing Inc.’s Middle Village retail accelerator program, began welcoming customers at the former Linn & Owen Jewelers on South Washington Square.
Several new specialty retailers and services joined the fold, starting in February with Lansing’s Daydream Tattoo Studio. Stadium District woodworking studio Tiny Bit of Wood also began hosting carpentry courses in February and officially opened in April, while soda-shop franchise Rocket Fizz, previously located in the Eastwood Towne Center, celebrated its grand opening at its new downtown East Lansing storefront in March.
In October, a pair of Waverly Schools graduates and childhood best friends opened a vintage resale and custom design shop, Wake Up Call, in the Stadium District. Finally, in November, two hobby shops came to the table: Metro Darts at Royal Scot Golf & Bowl in northwest Lansing and Flashback Comics and Toys on the east side.
City Pulse will continue to highlight new businesses each week in 2025 through its New in Town column. It won’t be easy to top the variety seen in the class of 2024, but mid-Michiganders are nothing if not ambitious. Stay tuned.